Edward glanced at the anxious pregnant woman and the gentle Nurse Joy who was explaining things patiently, and couldn't help but sigh with admiration.
"Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny really are essential pillars upholding the Pokémon League," Edward smacked his lips thoughtfully. These two families could be considered the most important clans in the entire Pokémon world.
Far more significant than Lance's Dragon Master clan.
As for the "XYY syndrome" that the pregnant woman mentioned, Edward did have some understanding of it. After all, this condition also existed in his previous world; it was considered a congenital physical and psychological disorder. However, XYY syndrome could also bring about an exceptional boost in athletic performance.
Edward vaguely recalled that the initial theory might have been proposed by a female scholar, but the scientific community generally regarded the conclusion as inaccurate. The data collected was too limited, too unrepresentative, and there was no substantial investigation into the general XYY population. Because of this, and with the efforts of various scientists over time, the theory that "XYY syndrome equals innate criminal behavior" was eventually debunked.
Geneticists conducted long-term tracking studies on children with XYY syndrome and found that their crime rate wasn't particularly high. Therefore, that notion was eventually discredited. Edward even remembered that in an authoritative medical textbook from his past life, it was explicitly stated that "the idea that carriers of the XYY gene are more likely to become criminals is a misconception."
What surprised him, however, was that the world of Pokémon also had this condition. Still, Edward simply took it in as something to observe; after all, the child wasn't his, and he couldn't go over to try to persuade the woman whether to give birth or not. Besides, in the Pokémon League's legal system, unborn children were not recognized as natural persons, which meant they weren't entitled to the full set of human rights until birth.
Nurse Joy then led the anxious pregnant woman into her office, and their conversation was soon cut off by the walls of the room.
Sitting on the bench, Edward quietly observed the various scenes unfolding in the hospital, lost in thought. He had recently noticed that Zoroark had been particularly tense when facing him, especially when topics touching on its identity were brought up.
For example, the incident with the Tauros care license. Although Edward had no intention of catching a Tauros himself, he knew well that all Tauros were male and that there were no female Tauros. Zoroark had likely slipped up due to nervousness and said something that didn't make sense.
Its nervousness surrounding identity issues made Edward suspect that Zoroark's true identity might be more unusual than it seemed. Reflecting on its behavior, a peculiar idea crept into Edward's mind.
A Hisuian form Zoroark—an extremely rare regional form, distinguished by its Normal/Ghost dual-typing.
Edward scratched his head but ultimately decided to bury the speculation deep within his heart. Regardless of what regional form Zoroark might be, it didn't matter much to Edward. All he cared about was whether Zoroark did its job well as his secretary. As long as it was capable, that was enough.
Before long, Zoroark returned, bringing along the Pikachu and Malamar actors. Both had passed their physical examinations with flying colors, meaning that filming could now officially begin. Edward rubbed his hands together in excitement.
Over the past few days, he had already drafted out the script. The first episode would be based on "A Study in Scarlet," and the second would be "The Sign of Four." The final climactic episode would be based on "The Hound of the Baskervilles."
"A Study in Scarlet" was a no-brainer. Almost every film or TV series featuring Holmes began with that case—it provided a necessary introduction to how Watson met Holmes, and it effectively showcased Holmes' distinctive personality and his method of deduction.
As for choosing "The Hound of the Baskervilles" for the finale, that was because Edward wanted to experiment with combining mystery with horror elements to see if he could generate Fear Points from it. If this method proved effective, then future cases might be adapted with similar tweaks. Perhaps even the infamous serial killer case known throughout Galar—Jack the Ripper—could be reinterpreted into an arc.
[Breaking News]
A spaceship launched from the Hoenn region has suffered a malfunction, leaving two astronauts stranded in orbit. Rescue preparations are now underway at full speed...
Just as he was leaving the hospital, Edward caught sight of a news broadcast on a nearby TV screen and paused in surprise. He hadn't expected the Hoenn region to be launching space exploration missions so soon. Could it be that someone had already foreseen the prophecy and was preparing a response in advance?
Regardless, there was little Edward could do to help. He lacked the hardcore knowledge needed to build rockets or space shuttles. The only solution he could think of was to somehow locate Rayquaza and persuade it to intervene—that was likely the most effective option in the Pokémon world.
When Edward returned to his apartment, the interior renovations had already been completed. Seeing that everything was in order, he began making arrangements for the first day of filming. However, this initial shoot wouldn't focus on Holmes and Watson's first meeting, but rather a scene involving a seemingly ordinary bus stop where a battle of wits takes place.
"Mr. Sakaki, we'll start with this scene first. Afterward, we'll shoot your solo scene, and with that, your part in season one will be wrapped up," Edward explained.
In the first season, Giovanni played the role of Moriarty, but he wasn't given many scenes. Most of his appearances were subtle walk-bys or incidental encounters. The idea was to establish a preliminary impression of Moriarty in the audience's minds: that he was a highly intelligent university professor.
"Understood. No problem," Giovanni nodded while going over the script and getting his makeup done at the same time.
Of course, Giovanni couldn't appear as himself. Those who knew him would find it too distracting. So, Edward asked the makeup artist to give him a fake mustache and a short haircut. With this level of disguise, Giovanni would be much less recognizable—though someone paying very close attention might still be able to figure out who he was.
Due to the fact that the first scene required a bus, Edward also called over Leon. The Galar Champion hadn't left Motostoke City yet, and when he heard that filming was starting, he was so excited that he rode his motorcycle over right away.
Once all the actors were in place, Edward directed Giovanni to stand at the bus stop, while Leon, dressed as a bus driver, pulled up in an actual bus.
"...So, in reality, your logic is fundamentally flawed," Moriarty said with a polite smile, finishing his line. He glanced at the arriving bus, then calmly stepped aboard.
The camera zoomed in.
Leon, now wearing a full public transit driver's uniform, was sitting in the driver's seat. He looked over at Moriarty, who had just boarded and dropped a coin into the farebox, then lightly tapped the horn. Noticing that Holmes was still lost in thought and hadn't boarded, Leon simply closed the doors and drove off.
It wasn't until the bus had already left that Holmes suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, staring in the direction the bus had gone, his eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and excitement.
He could feel it—an intense mental clash had just occurred between himself and that enigmatic university professor.
(End of Chapter)